The town buzzed with the usual mid-m energy. Cars humming softly in the distahe faint melody of a pop song drifting from a nearby cafe, and the occasional bark from a dog tugging its owner along the sidewalk.

  At the fruit stall, a fox-eared woman leaned against the ter, her golden tail flig behind her. Her sharp eyes nded ohe moment I approached, and a slow smile tugged at her lips.

  “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, her words drawing out smooth like honey. Her gaze swept over me, lingering just a sed too long. “Haven’t seen you around here without yirlfriend ging to your side.”

  Girlfriend… I should’ve corrected her. Probably. But I didn’t. Some part of me didn’t even want to.

  I sighed inwardly but kept my faeutral. “I’m just here to pick up a few things.”

  “Oh, lucky me.” She leaned in slightly, as if I’d said something far more iing. The light caught the reddish tint of her hair, and her lips curled into a pyful smile. “Shopping for her, huh? What a good little boyfriend.”

  She plucked an apple from the pile, taking a big bite with her sharp es before she held it out toward me.

  “I’d say a guy like you deserves a reward for being so thoughtful.” Her nails, painted a deep crimson, tapped against the fruit’s smooth skin. “Maybe something sweeter than apples, if you’re ied.”

  I ignored her hand that held out the apple. My eyes travelled across the fruits again.

  “Pying hard to get?” Her smile only widened, sharp and teasing. “I don’t mind a challenge.”

  I preteo check the list Nave me, anything to avoid her gaze. This kind of attention wasn’t unusual, if anything, it was just another reminder of how things worked around here. Women weren’t subtle about what they wanted. Some were just more direct than others.

  "Anything else, sweetheart?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. Her ears twitched as her smile turned pyful. "I’d be happy to help with… whatever you need."

  Still, it was better to get this over with quickly. “I need carrots and some greens,” I said, keeping my voice even.

  “You’re no fun,” she pouted, grabbing a bundle of fresh carrots. When she hahem over, her fingers grazed the bay hand. “You sure you’re satisfied with just her? Girls like that be a bit… much. You know where to find me if you ever want a ge of pace.”

  I shifted the bag onto my shoulder and stepped back, putting a little more distaween us. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Oh, do,” she purred, tail swishing as she watched me walk away.

  Just as I turo leave, her voice rang out again.

  "Hey- wait a sec."

  I stopped, gng back over my shoulder. She stood with one hand on her hip, her amber eyes sweeping over me with renewed i.

  "What is it?" I asked, keeping my to.

  Her ears twitched, and she tilted her head slightly. "I've been w… what are you, exactly?"

  I blinked, caught off guard. "e again?"

  She stepped a little closer, her gaze trag over me with open i. "Your species. What are you?"

  The question didn’t surprise me. It wasn’t the first time someone had asked. "Half incubus, half vampire," I answered, shifting the bag against my side.

  For a moment, she just stared. Eyes flig from my face down to my posture, like she ieg something together. Then, slowly, she licked her lips, a smile curling at the edges.

  "Yeah…" she murmured, her gaze lingering a little too long. "I see the incubus bits."

  Her tone made it hard to tell if she meant it as a pliment or something else. I didn’t stick around to find out.

  As I got further away, I shifted the pstic grocery bags in my hands. Milk, eggs, vegetables, just the usual assortment, but enough to fill both hands.

  The sun hung zily in the sky, warm without being overbearing. People were out in full force, chatting along the sidewalks, strolling past storefronts, or huddling in small groups.

  Some were there with familiar faces, though I didn’t bother stopping, at least until someone else did it for me.

  "Markus!" someone’s voice rang out, and I barely had time to turn before she waved me down from her flower stall. "Running errands for yirlfriend again?"

  My eyes g her, Mrs. El. She ran the local stationery shop, though you’d never guess it by how muergy she had.

  With her soft, curling horns peeking through waves of chestnut hair and a fluffy ram’s tail that swayed with every step, she gave off an oddly pyful charm with a freckled smile.

  I shifted the bags again. "...Yeah."

  She chuckled, brushing a stray silver hair from her face. "You tell that sweet girl to e visit. I swear it’s been ages since I saw her st. If you’re not careful, she’ll make you do all the work while she lounges around, you know."

  "I’ll tell her," I said instead, already turning to leave before she could rope me into a longer versation.

  Mrs. El didn’t let me off that easily. "Don’t wait too long before starting a family either," she added with a wink. "A girl like that’s someone worth keeping. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw you two pushing around a stroller soon enough."

  A sharp, cold feeling shot through my chest. My breath hitched as if something heavy had settled on it.

  Kids?

  My grip on the grocery bags tightened, and I forced myself to take a slow, eveh, but it barely helped. My heart thudded in my ears, a too-fast, uneven rhythm.

  "Markus?" Mrs. El’s voice softened, her pyful tone repced with . "You feeling alright? You’ve gone a bit pale."

  I swallowed down the lump in my throat, f a smile. "I’m fine. Just... fot something at the store." My voice came out steady enough, even if the sweat on my palms said otherwise.

  "If you say so." She didn’t sound vinced but let it drop. "Don’t fet to give Nora my regards."

  I nodded quickly and walked away before she could say anything else. Even as the sounds of the town faded behihe versation never left my ears.

  I adjusted the bags in my grip, starting the walk bae when-

  "Hey."

  I nearly dropped the bags.

  Nora stood a few feet away, leaning casually against a mppost. Her arms crossed over her chest, a faint smirk curving her lips.

  She wore a loose, oversized hoodie, probably one of mine, if the familiar navy eant anything and denim shorts. Sunlight caught in her hair, making the white strands seem brighter than usual.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly.

  Her face lit up when she saw me. She pushed off the post, strolling toward me with the same easy fidence she always had. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t e back with nothing but junk food,” she teased with a warm tone.

  “I got everything on the list,” I replied, holding up the bags as proof.

  Nora leaned in to ihem, her lips curling in mock seriousness. "Hmm… looks like you actually did.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course I did.”

  She rifled through the bag and froze when she spotted a bundle of turnips. Her face twisted in distaste. “You bought these?”

  “They’re healthy,” I said firmly. “You o eat properly.”

  Nora huffed, kling her nose. “Healthy tastes awful.”

  “You ’t just live off sweet things,” I argued. “You need a bance.”

  “I am banced,” she tered, her voice light but the pout f on her lips was genuine.

  I shook my head, adjusting the bags as I started walking again. “Tough. You’re eating them.”

  Nora fell in step beside me, a pyful hum esg her throat. “You sound like an old man, you know that?”

  “Might be. It feels like my time is ing.” I said half-jesting.

  The pyful warmth in her eyes soon vanished. Her face, usually so expressive, wiped empty of all emotions.

  I blinked, startled by the sudden ge. “Hey… you okay?”

  She didn’t answer right away. Her hand shot out, catg my wrist in a firm grip. The warmth iouch felt colder somehow.

  “Why did you say that? You’re not feeling strange again, are you?” Her voice was too calm. Too steady.

  I tried to pull my arm back. She didn’t let go.

  “It was a joke.” My voice cracked more than I wanted.

  “A joke?” She echoed the words softly, her thumb brushing slow circles against my pulse. “Then why do you sound scared?”

  “I’m not-”

  “If something’s wrong…” Her grip tightened, and I caught the fairemor in her hand. “You’d tell me. You’d let me help you.” Her smile returned, but it was off.

  Too smooth, too practiced… “You know I’m the only one who , right?”

  “Nora, seriously, I’m fine.” I forced a smile, hoping it’d disarm whatever… this was. “It’s nothing.”

  Her hand shot out again, faster this time, as she grabbed my arm just above the wrist.

  I flinched, about to open my mouth to speak, but then I noticed it. Her antewitg slightly, releasing a faint, shimmering dust into the air.

  The world around me blurred at the edges. My thoughts slowed, thid heavy like syrup.

  “You’re not fine,” she murmured, her voice soft but threaded with something deeper. “Why won’t you tell me?”

  I tried to step back, tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. It was like my limbs had turo lead, each breath pulling me deeper into that strange, warm fog.

  “You don’t o hide from me,” she tinued, leaning in closer. Her firaced slow, delicate patterns along my forearm. “I’m the only one who uands you. You know that, don’t you?”

  I felt fused, about why she was doing this, what was happening? But the words wouldn’t e. My mind swam, caught between the sensation of her toud the whispered sweetness in the air.

  “You’ll feel better if you talk to me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, brushing against my senses like silk. “I’m the only one you trust. The only one who’ll always be here.”

  A shiver crawled up my neck. Somewhere deep inside, a voie that this was dangerous. Yet at the same time, there was a side of it wanting to embrace her, to fort and soothe her worries.

  But those voices… they were distant, fadih the warmth curling through my thoughts.

  “Tell me everything.” Her fingers slid up to my shoulder, her antennae flig again. “Whatever’s troubling you… you share it with me. You want to, don’t you?”

  The worst part was… I did. The longer she held me, the harder it became to resist.

  ~~~

  Before I realized it, we were already home. The familiar creak of the front gate snapped me out of the haze, but the warmth ging to my mind lingered… soft, heavy, and impossible to shake.

  Nora’s hand still held mine, her fingers ced through with an ease that felt… natural. Too natural.

  I closed the door behind us, the faint smell of fresh herbs and warm wood, with a tinge of beer drifting through the house.

  My chest felt tight, like something pressing in my mind, g to be let out in the open. And for some reason, it felt easier to speak while she was here.

  “Nora…” My voice came out quieter than I meant, but she still turoward me, her eyes shining with curiosity.

  “Hm?” She tilted her head, antewitg faintly.

  I hesitated, fiightening into my palm before f the words out. “I… I’ve been feeling weird tely.”

  A flicker of something crossed her face. Too quick to pce, but then she smiled. “Weird how?”

  I swallowed the weight in my throat. “About us.”

  She didn’t say anything, didn’t tease me like I half-expected. Just waited, her grip steady on my wrist.

  “I didn’t… mind when people called me your boyfriend,” I admitted, the words leaving me before I could think them through. "It should bother me, right? But it didn’t. It doesn’t."

  Her smile deepened, her eyes half-lidding with something unreadable. “Is that all?”

  “No.” I exhaled sharply, the memory surfag too fast. “Someoioned… kids.” My chest tightened again, the panic creeping ba. “And for some reason… it freaked me out. I don’t even know why.”

  For a moment, the room fell silent, only the faint rustle of fabric as she shifted closer. Then, without warning, she ughed softly. Warm and light enough to cut through the tension curling in my stomach.

  “Oh, brother,” she said, brushing her fingers against my arm. “You’re thinking too much again.”

  I wao pull away, but I didn’t. I just stood there, the warmth of her touch sinking deeper.

  She leaned in, her voice soft as silk. “Even if~ somehow, we did have children…" She smiled, pyful but with a glint of something sharper beh. "We’d raise them to have the brightest lives. You know that, don’t you?”

  A chill ran down my spine, but her touch was soothing, really soothing… and the words wouldn’t e.

  “We’d make it work,” she whispered, fingers curling slightly. “You and me.”